


Many Times

by AGirloftheSouth



Category: Incredibles (Pixar Movies), The Incredibles, incredibles
Genre: Conversations in bed, Cuddles, F/M, Fluff, Marriage, Spoilers, Talking, slight moment of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 08:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16082516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGirloftheSouth/pseuds/AGirloftheSouth
Summary: After they get home from the Devtech boat, Helen and Bob have a conversation.





	Many Times

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks everyone who read, commented, or gave kudos to my first work in this fandom. I was petrified and hid away for like three weeks, scared it was a disaster. It seems it wasn't. So here's another, that hopefully will be enjoyed as well. 
> 
> Also unbetaed, so let me apologize now.

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

Mignon McLaughlin

 

 

Bob turned off the kitchen light and started to make the rounds checking the locks.  The team Mr. Deavor sent in had done an amazing job. The large pieces of plywood over two of the windows and one of the doors was the only indication that anything had happened at all.  And Bob had been promised that the glass would be replaced tomorrow. 

Which was insane. It had been just over 24 hours since he’d gone after his wife.

He flipped the switch in the hallway, leaving the light in the small bathroom on for the kids before heading to the bedroom. He’d been awake for well over 24 hours, unable to grab a nap during the day like the kids had, and he could feel it in his bones. But as he closed the bedroom door behind him and looked at his wife he knew he wouldn’t be getting to sleep anytime soon. 

She was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, her eyes focused in front of her with a mix of anger and determination that he didn’t understand.  And she’d been that way most of the day, since they’d sat in their second police station this month and watched video of what they’d done while under Evelyn’s command.  None of it had been a surprise to him, but something, and he didn’t know what, had upset Helen.   But with interview after interview and getting the kids home and the clean-up and dinner, they hadn’t had a chance to talk about it. 

They had to now. 

He slipped under the covers, leaning against the headboard and watched her rigid back.  She’d never get to sleep this angry, and she needed it as much as he did, probably more. He reached over and settled his hand on the base of her neck and dug his thumb into the tense muscles there.  He felt an almost immediate release and smiled.  At least she wasn’t angry with him.

“What is it?” he finally asked and she shook her head, not turning back to look at him.

“Nothing,” she said after a pause and brought her hands up to cover her face.

“Liar,” he said, and she stiffened again. He eased his hand over her shoulder and pulled gently until she gave in, laying down beside him.  

“Talk to me,” he said, slipping down so she could pillow her head on his shoulder. She started to shake her head again, but he pressed his lips into her forehead, stopping her.  She let out a quiet sigh and looked up at him, meeting his eyes finally.

“I don’t like that she was able to use me to get to you.”

He frowned, pulling her tighter.  “I wasn’t her target, honey, she’d have—"

“No,” she interrupted, looking away and starting to play absentmindedly with the fabric of his t-shirt.  “I don’t mean using Elastigirl to get to Mr. Incredible, well, I guess I do, but I mean, I don’t know.  More that she used Helen to get to Bob.  Used me to trick my husband, I don’t remember doing anything we saw in that video.”  She looked up again, her finger tracing over his neck, to what he knew must be the bruises he’d seen starting to form earlier.  His wife was strong, very strong, that combined with the chain from the boat and he’d be black and blue tomorrow.  “You are so powerful,” she continued, “and could do so much damage, hurt so many people. You’d have hated yourself and it would have been my fault.”

“It was Evelyn’s fault,” he said, grabbing her hand away from bruises and bringing it up to his lips.  He kissed her knuckles before placing it back to his chest.  She shook her head again and rested it back on his shoulder.

“She could have made us hurt our kids, those ambassadors, anyone and I didn’t see it coming.  I liked her. I wanted to be friends with her.”  She shuddered and he pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head.  “I feel violated, watching that video. Making me kiss you to distract you.”

“Your kisses have a long history of distrac—”

“It isn’t funny,” she said. He chuckled any way and she lifted her head to glare at him. 

“Listen,” he said after a minute, easing back so they could properly see each other.  “This probably should have happened years ago, but with the lawsuits and the laws, we were pushed underground so soon after we got married.  I know that we’d agreed to keep our relationship private, but I imagine people would have eventually figured something out.  You parachuting out of a plane with your baby bump probably would have given it away.”

She smiled and snuggled back into his side. “I wouldn’t have done that while pregnant.”

He laughed again, “Yes you would have,” he replied.  “This Screenslaver thing proved that to me. You love being the hero as much as I do.”

He could see the grin she was trying to hide.

“So eventually someone would have put two and two together and used one of us against the other. It was just delayed because we were underground so long. Now we’ve faced it and can learn from it.”

She nodded but looked away.   “What’s the solution?  Not to respond if someone says—”

“If someone tells me you’re in trouble I’m always going to come,” he said, voice suddenly serious.

She searched his face for a long moment and nodded. 

“Same,” she replied, a smiled lighting up her eyes.  “Always.”

They stared at each other for a long time.

“So that’s out,” she finally sighed.  “I guess we just have to take the challenges as they come.”

“Same as we’ve always done it,” he replied. “And it’s probably better that we were able to avoid this for so long.  I think we’re both smarter now and stronger.”

“Very true,” she answered. “But after almost 16 years, I know just how important this is to me and how devastated I’d be to lose it.”

He closed his eyes and nodded, the memories from Nomanisan creeping up.  Knowing his wife was dead.  Knowing his kids were dead. Knowing that nothing else mattered because he’d died too.

“Hey,” he opened his eyes, just as she pushed herself onto his chest, her weight settling perfectly as she cupped his cheek.  “None of that.  I’m right here.  The kids are fine and asleep,” she paused, “or gliding in the other dimension or whatever it is Jack Jack does.”  She narrowed her eyebrows at him, but he could still see the smile she was trying to hide.  “Speaking of which, I’m absolutely furious with you for not immediately telling me that he had powers.” She reached a hand down and playfully slapped his thigh. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her, pinning her to his chest.  

“I tried,” he said, lifting his head to place a kiss on her neck.  She hummed and he grinned against her skin. “But as soon as I said his name you immediately thought I’d broken him or sold him to the circus or whatever your worst-case scenario was.   You didn’t think I could handle it when he didn’t have powers, what would you have thought when you found out he could turn into a little sharp toothed demon?”

“I’d have come home immediately,” she said.  “But I admit it, and make a mental note of the date and time, because you don’t hear this often, but I was wrong.  You did an amazing job, outside of you know, getting brainwashed and your old car driving through the house.”

“That was partially your fault,” he laughed, rolling them over until she was pinned underneath him, her own laugh filling his ears. “Try and blame me for being brainwashed when you used your feminine—”

She kissed him, shutting him up.  Her lips soft and perfect against his, he sank into it immediately, feeling her arms wrap around him as she opened her mouth and he got lost.  They were both too tired to do much else, but his wife’s kisses were better than sleep every day.  

When he pulled back to breath, he felt her grip on him ease.  Her arms pulling back as he studied her face, cheeks flushed, lips swollen, pupils blown. Her hand settled on his face, her thumb brushing over his lips.

“I love you,” she said. “You know that, right?” There was a seriousness that surprised him in her tone.

“I do,” he answered, puckering his lips against her thumb. “And I love you.  You know that, right?”

She nodded, biting her lip.  She brushed her thumb over his again, eyes sparkling. 

“Thank you,” she said after a moment, tracing along his jaw and around his ear. The touch shivered up his spine and he shifted his weight to the side settling into his pillow, pulling her against his chest. 

“For what?” he asked, reaching behind him to turn off the light.   She looked so soft in the light cast from just her lamp, her skin glowing. 

“Letting me do this.  Encouraging me to do it.”

He shook his head.  “Thank you for doing it, for righting the wrong done to us all those years ago and doing it your way.  You were great.”

“We were great,” she said, kissing him.

“Incredible, even,” he replied, as she reached behind her to turn off her light.

She groaned, burrowing against him.  He rested his chin on to top of her head and closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion creep back in.


End file.
